The present invention is directed to an apparatus for the decontamination of layers of earth contaminated with organic materials as well as with correspondingly polluted water.
In this connection the decontamination includes both special undesired chemical compounds such as poisons as well as all common organic compounds which negatively injure the biological, chemical-physical and hydrogeological equilibrium of the layers of earth. Examples of such compounds are petroleum and its derivatives. In such a contamination there is also negatively influenced the oxygen content of the land and the ground water and the solubility of iron and manganese salts is increased.
The contamination also can be a result of a natural degradation of the water bearing land caused by hydro-geological influences of the surrounding environment or the drainage basin.
At present there are no true decontamination apparatuses known for maintaining and restoring the normal conditions of layers of earth and/or water contaminated with organic materials. These problems until today were chiefly handled by means of mechanical or thermal methods. The chief methods and apparatuses employed thereby are as follows:
Putting out of operation the pumped wells or springs.
Dredging the surrounding material of the water container by means of conventional dredges and eventually refilling the hole with non-objectionable material: The machines employed for this are very expensive and consequently very dear, besides the hydrogeological equilibrium of the region can be sensitively disturbed by the dredging.
Evaporating of the surrounding material by means of fixedly installed or mobile steam generators; this is only conceivable as a single method of operation, there can naturally be no question of continuous use.